Shattered Innocence
by RobbyA
Summary: A darker take on "No Such Luck." Taking place around the time that Lincoln was kicked out of his own house, he is abducted in the middle of the night, and murdered by a serial killer. Now the family must live with the guilt of not allowing Lincoln to come into the house because they assumed that he was bad luck.
1. The Disappearance of Lincoln Loud

**This story was written in response to "No Such Luck" an episode that I hadn't seen as greatly despised by fans in comparison to "Trash House." Basically, the idea came to mind when I was thinking that what would happen if Lincoln was kidnapped during the events of the episode. And such, here's what I came up with. It isn't a complete story per of course.**

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Normally one would try to avoid having bad luck any way possible. With Lincoln, however, he fully embraced it. Ever since Lynn lost that baseball game, she prohibited him from attending any of her sports-related events, fearing that he might jinx them. Truth be told, Lincoln would rather have the house to himself than go to one of his sisters' stupid presentations. So, when Lynn began to spread the rumor that Lincoln was cursed, he took advantage of it. While his family was away, Lincoln had full range of the house. He freely read his comic books in his underwear, among other things. Sure, it was dirty of him to lie to his family, but he'll they'll forget about it once he sets the record straight with them.

Unfortunately for Lincoln not only was he being excluded from his sisters' personal events, but he was also left out of attending events he truly wanted to engage in. Soon, his parents fell victim to his lie, and they kicked him out of his own home. Despite his insistence that he wasn't bad luck, Lynn continually pointed out that when he went to her game she lost, thus solidifying their superstitions. Not once was Lincoln allowed back in the house, not even to use the restroom. Slowly, the day turned to night, and the Loud family was preparing for bed. Before excusing themselves to their bedroom, Rita and Lynn Sr. approached the door, and gave Lincoln a blanket and pillow.

"Please, let me back in," begged Lincoln "I swear that I'm not bad luck."

Lynn Sr. shook his head. It hurt him to do this to his son, but he believed that it was for the best.

"Sorry, sport," he began "better safe than sorry."

How could his father say something that thoughtless? Rita bent down and gave her son a kiss on the forehead. She clearly didn't like this anymore than her husband did, but she tried to ease her son's anxiety the only way she knew how.

"Besides, your father and I are taking the girls to the beach tomorrow. We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to any of them, right?"

Lincoln knew that this was supposed to come off as reassuring, but the way that she worded her explanation almost gave off the impression that his sisters' lives were more important. Despite this, Lincoln begrudgingly nods his head in understanding. "Yes I guess so," he replied. Rita rubs his head comfortingly. "Don't worry, sweetie, we'll check up on you in the morning."

With that, Lincoln was left alone in the darkness. He tried to situate himself on the porch, but it proved to be bumpy in comparison to his bed. Even so, Lincoln found himself slowly drifting off to sleep with the sound of crickets chirping. Morning slowly crept upon the horizon. Rays of sunlight seeped its way into the parents' shared bedroom, stirring them awake. After getting themselves fully dressed, the two descended down the stairs, and entered into the kitchen. Rita grabs a box of cereal from one of the cabinets, and pours the cereal into a bowl. She then walks towards the refrigerator, takes out a jug of milk, and pours the contents of the jug into the bowl. She then heads towards the front door.

"Good morning, sweetie," chimed Rita "breakfast is ready." She slides the bowl of cereal through the doggy door. There was no response on the other side of the door.

The lack of a reply surprised Rita. She knew that her son was upset about having to sleep outside, but at the very least he would be thankful enough to accept the bowl of cereal. Rita called her son's name a second time only to be met by the same deathly silence. Worried, Rita opens the door, to find that his blanket had been abandoned. Lynn Sr. was fixing a cup of coffee when his wife rushed back into the kitchen. "Is Lincoln up?" he yawned. He nearly dropped his cup upon listening to her answer. "I can't find Lincoln anywhere," says Rita frantically. Lynn Sr. takes a few deep breaths before speaking. "Can't find him?" Lynn Sr. exclaimed in a shocked, but slightly controlled tone.

Rita nods her head. "Nothing but his blanket is here." Sparking his interest, Rita produces the discarded blanket. Lynn Sr. analyzes the blanket for a few minutes. From the look of it, the blanket was slightly dirtied, though it should be expected as the porch can get rather dirty, but what caught his attention were the tears along the side. There appeared to have been some scuffle during the night. Fearful, Lynn Sr. returned his glance to his wife, and attempted to flash a hopeful smile. "Don't worry dear, I'm sure he went over to Clyde's house," he suggested.

Rita sighed a breath of relief. "Right, how couldn't I think of that?" she proclaimed. She dashes towards the phone, and dials the McBride residence. The phone rang a few times before the call went through.

"Hello," droned a voice. The voice was unfamiliar to Rita at first, but upon further inspection, she deciphered the voice as belonging to Howard. Given the irritated tone, Rita correctly concluded that he just got out of bed. "Yes, Howard. I'm just calling to see if Lincoln happened to spend the night over at your house." Howard yawns. "No, Rita. I hadn't seen him all day." Saddened, Rita thanks him for his cooperation and hangs up.

Lynn Sr. walked into the room the moment she ended her call with Howard. "He's there?" he asked.

Rita shook her head depressingly. Lynn Sr. returned her worried expression. As if on cue, the girls descend the stairs, rubbing the tiredness from their eyes. "What's with the ruckus," yawned Lori. A silence as sharp as a knife befell the room. The parents struggled to break the news to their daughters. Eventually, Rita spoke up. "Girls," she manages to choke out "Your brother's missing."

The girls' eyes widen in shock. "Did you call Clyde's house?" inquired Luna. "I did, and they said hadn't" Rita explained. Lori quickly grabs her phone, and dials her boyfriend to ask if he had seen him. Instantaneously, Bobby states that he hadn't, and neither had his sister. "Oh, this is bad," groaned Lori.

Lana worriedly looked at the front door.

"You don't think he ran away because we kicked him out," she asked.

"I think so," Lola says regrettably.

Lynn stretches her arms, yawning while doing so "Maybe he's just playing some prank on us."

The other girls perked up at this. "That's right," exclaims Lori "he's probably somewhere in this house!" All of the sisters went about trying to find their missing brother. Lori and Leni crawled underneath the stairs of the house's porch, only to come across the artificial skeleton left over from Halloween. Lucy checked the attic, only to find her bats situated there. Luan and Luna checked the boiler room almost as if to expect that Lincoln would be hiding in the boiler. They opened the door to the stove, but only to find it empty. The sisters gutted the house in hope of finding their brother. For all of their efforts, they only manage to leave a huge mess.

"I believe Lincoln really is gone," bemoaned Luna.

"And it's all my fault," added Lynn. Luna looked at her with confusion.

"I was the one who said that he was bad luck in the first place. Now he's gone because of me." Lynn drops her head in shame. Lori gently pat her back reassuringly. "No don't say that; I'm sure he'll show up." Lynn refused to return her glance, but she decided that there was some truth in her words. "You promise," she asks. Lori nods. The family goes about their day. The sisters wanted to skip school so that they could devote their time to searching for Lincoln, but Rita goads them into leaving. By the time that the girls returned from school, Lincoln had yet to return.

" It's been hours," states Lucy observantly "are we sure that Lincoln isn't…"

Lola interrupts her thought bubble. "Isn't what?" she inquires.

"Dead" Lucy bluntly states. Lana walks over and shakes her.

"Don't say that, Luce!" she yelled.

Unfazed, Lucy continued her explanation "It's been 6 hours. What would you expect?" As much as one could deny it, there seems to be some sliver of truth to her analysis. Lana refused to accept this possibility.

"You're wrong! Lincoln's coming back, I know it!" She hits the side of the couch in blind fury. Before the room could erupt into a full-blown battle, the parents came into the room having finished their conversation on the phone with the authorities.

"What did they say," inquired Lori. Rita rubs her temples in exhaustion.

"We've just filed a missing person's report." Leni tilts her head curiously. "Who's missing again?"

Lori sighed. Sure, her sister does have her moments of being ignorant to what's in front of her, but she didn't want to be bothered with this today. "Lincoln is missing," groaned Lori. Leni's eyes grew as large as dinner plates. "Linky's missing?" she shrieked. The family sighs.

"Will they be able to find him, mom?" Lana asked. Rita gave her 6-year-old daughter a grim look. She would love for Lincoln to return home to prove her suspicions wrong, but at the same time, it's been 8 hours since he had gone missing. Rita sighed and got down to Lana's level. "I just don't know, dear. All we can do is hope for the best." Lynn Sr. informs his daughters that a search party had been sent to look for Lincoln. They'll report to them once they have accumulated enough evidence pertaining to his whereabouts.

A few more hours go by as the girls tried to go about their usual activities. However, a sense of gloom prevented them from fully enjoying them.

"It's been how many hours now," moaned Luan. Lisa looked down at her wristwatch. "Approximately twelve hours."

Lola's lip quivered at this. "Lincoln must really be mad at us." She quietly wept into her handkerchief.

Luna sets her guitar down and hugs Lola tightly. "Even if he is, he isn't the type of guy to just walk out," suggested Luna.

Lola turned her glance towards her; her tears were messing with her mascara. "He tried to tell us that he wasn't cursed, but we let our stupid superstitions get in the way."

Lana goes over to comfort her sister as well. Lynn leaned against the couch, nearly crying herself. "I hope he returns real soon. I need to make up for what I said." Her sisters were in agreement. Perhaps when he comes home, they could respect his decision and not force him to attend their events. They'll be sure to give him the privacy that he deserved.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. "That must be the search party!" declared Lori. She dashed out of the room to alert her parents. Without fail, they rushed towards the front door. Rita went to open the door, and sees two officers standing there. One was short and heavy, while the other was tall. What both men had in common were their forlorn looks.

"Yes?"

The skinny officer talked first. "Yes, we've been out searching for your son. After some thorough research, my partner and I may have the answers to his whereabouts." Rita's heart nearly burst out of her chest.

"Where is he?" she asked excitedly.

The two police officers looked at each other. This time, the heavy set officer responded. "Ma'am, may we ask that you send your daughters out of the room?" An odd request, sure, but she obeyed. Lori tried to protest saying that she and her sisters had every right to know what happened to Lincoln, but she tumbles on her words when her father gave her a stern look. She quickly hustled her sisters out of the room.

With the kids gone, the parents immediately resume their discussion with the officers. "Well, did you find our son?" begged Lynn Sr.

The skinny officer nodded his head. "Yes, we have."

Rita sighs in relief. "Oh, I'm so delighted!" she proclaimed "please, may we speak with him?"

The police officers looked at each other in hesitation. "Ma'am, I don't think he'd have much to say."

Rita was perplexed. Sure, she knew that her son would most assuredly be enraged that he had to sleep outside all night, but maybe he'd find it in his heart to forgive them for their foolishness.

"Doesn't have much to say? But wh…" Her mind meditated on those words. Suddenly, his cryptic words began to become clear. Fully realizing the context of his explanation, Rita's eyes began to swell with tears. Without as much as a word officer produces a plastic bag, and shows it to the two parents, their mouths agape with horror. In the bag was Lincoln's orange shirt. The shirt was drenched with stained blood which gave the shirt a rusty appearance. Rita threw herself into her husband's arms as Lynn Sr. did his best to comfort his distraught wife.

"Mr. and Mrs. Loud, you have my condolences," said the officer.

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 **Hey, AustinDR here. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Shattered Innocence. I'm still currently trying to get my thoughts together to complete the story. I'll continue to work on it.**


	2. A Terrible Truth

Your child is dead. Four words that no parent would ever want to hear. Rita closed her eyes a few times to take in what the officer had just said to her. Surely this was all some huge mistake. For all she knew, Lincoln was sleeping soundly in bed. She wanted to deny this; she wanted it all to be some awful joke. But it took only a glimpse at her son's bloodied shirt to bring her back into reality. Tears rolled down her cheeks as her husband held her tighter. There was no getting around it. Lincoln, her precious son, was dead. The officers found Lincoln's body hidden in a shallow grave deep within the woods. His body was left in such a grizzly condition, that the authorities could only identify him by his clothes and teeth. Thankfully, the officer saved most of the details from Rita, lest she were thrown into a heart attack. Curiously enough, the haunting sight reminded the officers of a certain serial killer's handiwork.

The Royal Woods Stalker was what they called him. Many Royal Woods residents have attributed the killer as being behind the disappearances of several children in the neighborhood. Witnesses have claimed that the Royal Woods Stalker is a medium-sized man roughly around his mid-fifties, who also had a graying hairline. However, he had managed to escape the authorities for several years, ultimately causing them to call off the hunt. It seemed as though the infamous child murderer took a cooling off period, or at the very least was dead. No reports of missing children ever reared their ugly head until now. Could it be that Lincoln was murdered by this enigmatic killer, or perhaps it was a copycat? Whatever the reason it was all the same; Lincoln was dead, and it was their faults for taking their superstitions too far.

"Come to think of it, I'd have to ask you two a few questions" states the lanky officer. Rita tilts her head quizzically. "Sure, I guess so." The officer scratched his chin deep in thought. "What was an 11-year-old boy doing outside in the first place?"

Rita chuckled anxiously, whilst scratching the back of her head. "Well, you see officer…." The officer interjects her. What he said next sent a chill down her spine. "Might I ask that you two come with me to the station? I have a few concerns to address" he asked.

Rita gulped fearfully. It would've been just a matter of time before the authorities began to drill her for answers. Her losing her son to a serial killer was bad enough, but the idea that she would possibly be serving jail time for deliberately locking him out sent her in a flurry of mixed emotions. Before she could answer, the girls break into the room, and they start to corner the officers demanding answers. The officers pull out their tasers. "Back up this instant" yelled the heavy set officer. The two officers simultaneously activate their tasers to show the girls that they would act on their threat. Rita stepped in between her daughters and the two officers fearing the possible outbreak of a war.

"Wait, don't shoot them" sighed Rita "could you just give me a few minutes to break the news to them?" The officers gave an intense glare at the girls causing them to back away. "Fine, make it quick." Handcuffs were placed onto the two parents' wrists, and they direct Lynn Sr. towards the door. Before leaving, Lynn Sr. turned to give his wife a sorrowful look. "See you soon, dear." With that, Lynn Sr. is led to the police car.

Rita was alone with her daughters. They looked at each other for what seemed like forever. Not a single word was being uttered. It was so quiet, in fact, that if one were to drop a pin on the floor, it still wouldn't elicit a response. Eventually, Rita was reminded of her limited time, thus forcing her to tell her daughters the terrible truth. "Girls" she strained herself to say "they found Lincoln."

The girls perked up at this. They jumped up and down in delight. Finally, after all of these hours of waiting for some sort of news, it seems that Lincoln is finally coming back home. "Is he alright?" asks Lola.

Rita twiddled her thumbs. How can she break the news to them? They're looking at her with hopeful eyes. She shouldn't quash their hopes, but…there was no going around that. Conflicted as she was, she knew that it had to be done.

"Girls," she began "your brother isn't coming back."

The girls stopped celebrating, and they looked at their mother with confusion. "Not coming back" replied Lola. The room became silent again. Not coming back? They'd figure that Lincoln would be incensed with them for treating him terribly, but that was just ridiculous. Luan nervously laughed at her mom as if thinking that she made a joke. "Ha, ha, great joke, Mom! You really had us with that one!"

Luan stopped laughing once she noticed that her mother's facial expressions didn't change. "Mom?" she asked in concern.

A lump formed in Rita's throat. "They found his body in the woods. They….they believe that he was murdered."

The girls' hearts shattered on the spot. Tears began to swell in their eyes as they began to crowd their mother. "Please say it ain't so, mom!" whimpers Luna.

"Lincoln's not dead, I know it!" cried Lana. Rita was close to tears as well. The girls came together in an embrace. They began to mourn the loss of their only brother. "I wish I was wrong," droned Lucy. Even though she was correct in her verdict, she secretly wished that maybe she would be proven wrong. It's not that common for the young gothic girl to be optimistic, but she truly wanted her brother to return in one piece. But that's not the likely case anymore. A horn blared indicating for Rita to leave.

"I'm sorry, girls, but I have to go. Please take care of yourself." With that, Rita pried herself from the group embrace, and walked towards the door. She exhaled deeply, and exited the house. The girls continued to mourn for their brother. Losing him hurt more than any fight that they had gotten in. They had treated Lincoln like garbage all day because they believed that he was bad luck when really they were letting their beliefs clot their judgment. Now, they could never hope to beg Lincoln for forgiveness. They didn't even deserve his forgiveness they thought.

"Our Linky is gone," sobbed Leni.

"And it's all Lynn's fault!" screamed Lola.

The girls turn their attention to Lynn. Lynn was sitting on the far end of the couch. She had been silent ever since their mom just delivered the bad news. Because of her rumor, she unwittingly set into motion the events that culminated in Lincoln's senseless murder. There was no one to blame except herself as far as she was concerned. The sisters marched towards the tomboy, clearly infuriated.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" inquired Luan. Lynn didn't respond.

"Our little bro's dead, and it's your fault," growled Luna. Lynn was slightly unnerved by this. Luna hardly ever got angry. There just seemed to be venom in her tone of voice.

Without warning, Lori grabs Lynn by the shoulders and shakes her hardly. "We should've known to not listen to your shit!"

The other girls were shocked by her sudden burst of anger. Even Lynn was shocked enough to momentarily break out of her catatonic state. What happened next was especially shocking. Lori grabs Lynn by her collar, and slams her fist into her face several times. A mixture of blood and tears were spilling from her open orifices. Lori then throws her onto the floor and grinds her foot on her chest. Lynn winced in pain. Her right eye became swollen and developed a deep purple tint. The other siblings looked at each other, and then back at Lynn. Looking at her broken body frightened them.

"Great, now you made me chip a nail," groans Lori. She heads back upstairs, and slams the door to her room. The other girls ran upstairs as well, leaving the broken Lynn alone on the floor. Lynn spits up some blood and a few teeth. Her breathing was stifled. Even when she was being horribly beaten by Lori, she didn't even bother to try to fight her. Her being beaten to a bloody pulp didn't hurt her as much as the thought that she caused the triple effect by being overly superstitious. Struggling to get up, Lynn grabbed onto the side of the couch and painfully lifted herself up. Once she had gotten her upper body beside the couch, she plops down onto it, emitting painful groans while she does so. She rolls onto her side, and stares at the ceiling. As she stared, one thought continually spiraled in her mind:

"I should've apologized to Lincoln…"

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 **Hey, thanks for reading.**


	3. Lynn's Nightmare

Lynn found herself in an empty room, surrounded by darkness. After getting savagely beaten by her older sister, everything that transpired afterward was a blur. Lynn tried to feel her way around the room, only to realize that she was grasping nothing but pitch blackness. She fumbled around trying to find something to light her way. However, the further she went into the room, the wider the room seemed to get. In desperation, Lynn tried to call out in the darkness a few times for signs of life, only for her inquiries to rebound on her in the form of an echo.

"Where am I?" wondered Lynn. Whilst contemplating her surroundings, a noise rustled throughout the room, startling her. Clenching her fists together, Lynn stood her ground fully anticipating fighting whoever was in the room with her. "Come out you coward," boasted Lynn "Show yourself!" The noise became louder as it overtook the room. Though she was frightened, Lynn tried to muster up the willpower to take on the potential threat. As suddenly as the sound entered the room, it disappeared just as suddenly. A quietness fell over the empty room. At ease, Lynn slowly loosened her grip. Lynn breathed a sigh of relief and continued her pursuit for a way out. With the alarming noise dissipated, the room was silent again. Too silent to be exact. Lynn tried to feel around the room again, when she heard a soft voice emanating from the pitch blackness.

"Why?"

Lynn turned around surprised to hear another voice that wasn't her own. Confused, Lynn's eyes darted around the room for the source of the sound. "What?" she asks anxiously. From the corner of her eye, she saw something emerge from the darkness. Squinting at the odd spectacle, Lynn made out the silhouette of a figure that was close to her in size. She focused her eyesight on the mysterious entity. She knew who it was. "Lincoln?" she asks. She could recognize that white hair any day. Lincoln fully emerged from the darkness, his eyes being stained with tears. He also seemed paler than when he was alive, almost as if he was a reanimated corpse. His shirt was drenched with his blood, and dirt was falling off his body. Lynn beheld her brother as if it were the first time that she had ever seen him.

"Why Lynn" asks Lincoln accusingly "why did you do this to me?"

His words were as sharp as a knife piercing her heart. Lynn tried to turn away from the spectacle, but something in her mind forced her to continue looking at him. Tears streak her face the longer she looked at her brother's spirit. "L-Lincoln...I-I had no way of knowing that-" Before she could finish her response, Lincoln pointed his middle finger at her in an accusing manner. "You said that you would always protect me." His words rang true in her mind. For as long as she could remember, she had always promised Lincoln that she would be his guardian. The fact that she let her superstition determine her brother's fate made her feel more guilty for herself. "I know. I promised that I would always keep you safe from harm." Lynn watched the tears drop from her eyes before continuing. "But I failed you. Please forgive me."

A low growl emitted from Lincoln, making her more frightened. "Do you not know how much suffering I had to go through?" he yelled. Lynn fell to her knees in fright. "Linc, please," she begged.

Lincoln's voice became lower, dare say demonic even. "He took my life!" shrieked Lincoln "he took away all of my happy memories." He looked down at his older sister, giving her a dreadful look. "And it is your fault, Lynn! You left me! You left me to **DIE**!"

Fire erupts from the ground, engulfing the two. Much to her horror, Lincoln melts in front of her eyes, and merges with a wall of flames. Other heads materialized from the flames, each one screaming in writhing agony. This very much matched what some hold as being the true depiction of Hell. "You left me to rot," roars Lincoln. He surrounds Lynn with the searing fires, threatening to burn her. "No, no, Lincoln, she whined." Lincoln gives her a sadistic grin, and he breathes fire towards her, engulfing her in the flames.

Lynn wakes up from her deep sleep, sweating profusely. She looked all around the room, realizing that it was only a nightmare. Even then, she felt that it was far too real to be a random dream. Guilt caressed Lynn's mind the moment she remembers that Lincoln truly was gone. Lynn leaned forward on the couch and clasped her knees.

"What have I done?"

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Lynn was so enraptured in her thoughts, a knock on the door caught her off guard. "Great, who can that be now..." droned Lynn. She walks over to the door, and she opens it. Upon opening the door, Clyde falls to the ground, apparently having leaned against it. Perplexed, Lynn helps Clyde up. "Clyde," she began "what are you doing here?"

Clyde wipes his shirt. "I saw your parents just get taken away by the police! What's going on?"

"Well, they're doing some...interrogating" explained Lynn.

Clyde notices her bruises while they were having a discussion. "Where did you get those injuries?" he asked quizzically. Lynn looked down at her injuries. She cringed at the mere memory of being on the receiving end of her older sister's beating, but she felt that she needed to cover up for her.

"I...fell down the stairs," says Lynn. She giggled nervously at the young boy who didn't seem suspicious about her obvious lie.

"Well, what about Lincoln? Did they find them?"

Lynn nodded her head. "They found him."

Clyde was delighted by the news. Ever since Lincoln was first reported missing, he was practically considering investigating his disappearance. At least until his dads talked him out of it. But now, it seemed that everything was finally going back to normal. Little did he know, things weren't going to ever be the same.

"Where is he now?" Clyde asks "in his room?"

Lynn attempted to tell Clyde the truth, but her words came out in a mumble. Clyde takes this as permission to head to Lincoln's room, and he began to climb the stairway. As he was approaching Lincoln's room, Lynn ran in front of him. Clyde was confused. "Lynn, what's the meaning of this?"

Lynn wrestled with herself to figure out what she could possibly say to keep Clyde from getting too suspicious, but how could she possibly hope to withhold her brother's death from him? Suddenly, an idea struck her mind. "Uh, Linc's just...sleeping right now. You know with him going missing and all, he'd be pretty bushed.

Clyde scratches his head in curiosity. Beams of sweat rolled down Lynn's forehead. She was sure that Clyde had figured out the truth. What should she do now? How would he react to her admitting that she and her family deliberately locked Lincoln out of the house. Yes, they had no idea that a serial killer would take advantage of that situation and make Lincoln his recent target, but they were just as guilty. Thankfully for her, Clyde couldn't telepathically read her mind. Clyde shrugged, and he began to head back down the stairway. "Well, I'll just come back later."

Frightened, Lynn grabs him by the arm. "Wait, you can't!" Clyde tilted his head to the side, analyzing her. "Why can't I?" Lynn twiddled her thumbs nervously. Clyde stomped his foot on the ground in irritation. Finally, Lynn came up with a half-decent answer. "He-he's sick."

Clyde looks at Lincoln's door, and then back to Lynn. "Sick?" Lynn nodded her head. "Yup, he has explosive diarrhea." Clyde's eyes widen. "What?" he proclaims. Lynn nodded cautiously. Even she wouldn't believe that obviously stupid explanation. She was pretty sure that if Clyde didn't believe her claims earlier, then he most certainly wouldn't buy a word that she said. "Yup, seen it myself; it was so gross. It was all slimy and thick brown, bleh." She flinched a bit in a mental mechanism as she fully anticipated him to tear her words apart. Clyde thought to himself for a moment. "Well, shouldn't someone check on him, then?"

Lynn didn't anticipate his question. Clyde walks around Lynn and continues his walk towards the door only to be stopped again by Lynn. "No, you shouldn't go in there! It's so disgusting. It's contagious!" It was at that moment that Clyde was getting fed up with Lynn's strange behavior. "Lynn, what's the deal with you?" he asks. Lynn forced a smile across her face. "I'm just concerned for your health. After all, you don't want to catch Lincoln's fever, do you?"

Clyde gave a defeated sigh. "No I guess not." As he was descending the stairs, Lynn's last comment stood out to him as especially odd. "Wait fever" he stated "I thought you said he had diarrhea." Lynn's smile quickly disappeared from her face. Undoubtedly, Clyde was seeing through her facade. "Well I..." Clyde gives her a scornful look. "I demand you tell me where Lincoln is," Clyde exclaims, crossing his arms.

Lynn sighed, and bowed her head. "I knew I couldn't keep this hidden from you for long." Seeing that Clyde was fully waiting for an answer, she decided to stop stalling for time. "Clyde," she began "Lincoln's dead."

Clyde's eyes widen in shock, causing his glasses to nearly fall off his face. Strangely, Clyde began to laugh almost as if he felt this was some kind of joke. "Ha, ha. That's funny, Lynn. I could've sworn that you said that he was dead. However, Clyde immediately stopped laughing when he notices that Lynn was keeping a straight face when she was delivering the news. Retelling the events of Lincoln's murder proved to be difficult, but she felt the need to explain everything to Clyde. "They found his body in the woods earlier today. They suspect foul play." Clyde leaned his back against the wall, and he began to weep bitterly for his fallen friend. His breathing became more rapid and forced. Lynn gasped in fear, realizing that he was having an asthma attack. "Clyde!" she screeched. Clyde reaches into his back pocket and retrieves his inhaler. He takes a large whiff of the medicine, and his breathing lessened. "Lincoln, dead..." groaned Clyde.

Lynn walks over to Clyde, and she places her arm around his shoulder. "I'm sorry that you had to find out this way." Clyde looked at her with tear-filled eyes. "How...how did it happen?" Lynn chuckled nervously again. "Well, you see. We..." She stopped momentarily out of hesitation. Clyde was slowly becoming incensed by her stalling. "Tell me right now," he demanded. Lynn scratched the back of her head. "Well, you see..." Clyde lost his temper with her. He was trying to be sociable, but this was proving to become more difficult overtime. "Tell me now, you bitch!" he yelled.

Stunned, Lynn rushes to finish her recounting of what happened that day. "Well, we locked him out," Lynn explained. Clyde's jaw nearly dropped on the floor. "What?" He was hoping that she was joking in that last part, but her nodding her head was enough for him to decipher that this was what really happened. "It all happened when I had a softball game. So, I asked for Lincoln to go. He did, and my team lost. So, I assumed that he jinxed it."

Clyde couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sure, he knew that the family quarreled over trivial things, but never in his life had he heard something as petty as this. "And then we all started to think that Linc was bad luck, so we thought that the only way to protect ourselves from getting cursed was for him to sleep outside. But I never thought that Lincoln would be kidnapped in the middle of the night. I was supposed to be his guardian, but I let my superstitions do the talking. Now he's gone, and there's nothing that I can do to bring him back..." She started to cry again. Clyde gets up from the floor, and gently caresses her cheeks in a comforting manner. What happened next caught everyone by surprise. The other sisters were alerted to a deafening sound. Opening their doors, they see that Lynn had a red mark across her right cheek. Apparently the mark stung because Lynn was biting her lip to stifle the pain that she was feeling. She was crying harder than she initially was as well. It was there that everything was starting to become clear as crystal: Clyde had slapped Lynn across the face.

Lori was disgusted. "Clyde? How could yo..." Before she could rebuke him, Clyde turned his attention towards all of them. "You all are terrible sisters!" The Loud girls dropped their jaws in unison. "Yeah, you heard me! You are all the worst examples of siblings I have ever seen."

After a few moments of silence, Luan stood up to defend herself and her sisters. "Clyde, we all have made mistakes, but I don't thin..." Clyde gives her a hateful glare, thus causing her to freeze up. "So the humorless hack has something to say?" he asked.

Luan's eyes widened. Much like a parrot, she repeated that word several times. Seeing that he perplexed her, Clyde continued his accusation. "What happened to all those times that Lincoln helped you with your funny business? Luan bowed her head in shame, unable to say anything contrary. "And yet you show your gratitude by subjecting him to endless pranks?" Lori decided to go next. "Clyde, I'd think it best that you-"

Clyde turns his glance over towards the eldest of the Loud sisters. He was conflicted. He was hoping that she had some say with what her family had done to Lincoln, but the reality of her taking part in ostracizing her only brother pained him. His "soul mate" wasn't an angel. She was far from it.

And then there's you, Lori. I used to think that you could do no wrong, but Lincoln was right: you are a monster!" Angered, Lori lifts her hand up, and forms it into a fist as if she were planning to beat Clyde into a bloody pulp. However, she realized that her physically injuring him would only prove his point further, and she throws her other hand onto her fist. Unafraid, Clyde continued to rip into his former crush. "Don't you remember when Lincoln actually went out of his way to get you that job? So how do you thank him?" Lori absentmindedly nods her head. His accusations were spot on.

Lucy, in her typical fashion, lets out a monotonous sigh right when Clyde was finalizing his rant on Lori. "Oh, you're bored?" inquired Clyde "well, why not we get to you, little miss princess of darkness?" Lucy hardly flinched at his threat. "After Lincoln was grounded for clogging up the toilet, he texted me, and you know what he said? He told me that he did it to cover for your sorry butt."

Luan raised an eyebrow in fascination. "Cover up?" Clyde shrugged. "Oh, Lucy never told any of you, didn't she?" Lori perked up at this. "Told us what?" she asked. At that point, Lucy was noticeably becoming unhinged. "That she was the one who clogged the toilet!" declared Clyde. The other sisters gasped. Luna was the first to express her disbelief. "So the book belonged to..." As she was reaching a conclusion, Lucy suddenly spoke up. "Me..."

Lucy placed her head between her legs in shame. "He gave up his chance of going to that convention just so that none of you could make fun of me for my interests. He always gave and gave, and yet we never did anything for him. Now he's gone." Bitter tears rolled down the gothic girl's cheeks. She had always asked her brother for favors, and come to think of it, she never thanked him for the sacrifices that he had made for her. The fact that he is now gone only made her further realize that she didn't realize what she had until it was gone. She couldn't even hope to apologize to him.

"And it is all of your faults" Clyde added "you guys don't deserve to have a brother half as good as Lincoln. In fact, I wish that it was just me and Lincoln. At least he wouldn't have to be burdened by ungrateful, sorry excuses for sisters like yourselves!" With that, Clyde marches down the stairs, opens the door, and slams it behind him, leaving the guilt stricken girls to ponder their actions.

* * *

 **Hey, AustinDR again to bring you Chapter 3 of "Shattered Innocence." I would personally like to thank each of you for taking the time to read my story. As we speak, I have about 35 faves on the story which surprised me, because I admit that it isn't one of the best stories that I had conceived. It really came about when I watched "NSL." I wasn't expecting much to come out of the story, but I am thankful for some feedback on it. I apologize if the story so far is a little rushed; I am still trying to work on pacing, and I was pretty busy this week, so I didn't have much to brainstorm on. The story is far from complete, but I feel that I need some time off to think where I could take this story. I may ask for some assistance here and there. I'm not sure yet. Anyway, criticism is welcome as long as it's constructive and doesn't boil down to "you suck." Thank you.**


	4. Ronnie Knows

News about Lincoln's murder spread like wildfire throughout Royal Woods, Michigan. Never had such a case spurred such media coverage as this. Mr. and Mrs. Loud were heavily interrogated on why they had left their son outside. Naturally, no type of explanation fell in their favor. The parents were arrested due to child neglect, thus leaving the kids with no other option but to move to their dreaded Aunt Ruth's house for the time being. Seeing that there was nothing that could be done regarding their circumstance, the girls solemnly went to their rooms to gather their valuables.

"I don't want to go to Aunt Ruth's" groaned Lola "she'll make us eat molded pudding again!"

"Don't knock it till you try it, sis," suggested Lana. Lana was the only one who appreciated her aunt's moldy pudding. Though considering how she willingly eats gross foods on a daily basis, it didn't come as much of a surprise. Lola, however, nearly vomited upon thinking about the rancid pudding. Lynn held an ice pack against her cheek which bore the red markings from Clyde's slap.

"How's your cheek ?" asked Luan.

"It still stings a bit, but I'm fine. Dang, didn't know Clyde had it in him."

"Are you gonna give him an atomic wedgie for it?" asked Lola.

"Nah, that's the least of my problems" explained Lynn.

This peaked Lola's interest. "What happened?"

"I just received a text from Polly."

"You mean that girl you set up on a date with Linc?" inquired Luna.

"Yes. She had been avoiding me at school all day. I didn't know why, so I pulled her to the side at lunch, and she told me that she was disgusted at what I had done. She then socked me in the stomach, and we hadn't spoken sense."

Lucy sighed. "Ouch. Haiku had been noticeably distant from me." While the two still did things together, it was all but clear that Haiku did not want anything to do with Lucy anymore. The reality of this made Lucy feel more depressed than she usually was.

Luan looked down at her hands. Ever since the murder, Luan had hardly uttered a single joke, nor had she engaged in any gigs. In fact, her business was completely scrapped. She just felt that there wasn't anyway that she could continue on with the business without Lincoln. It's funny: she never realized how much Lincoln contributed to the business, it took Lincoln being taken away so suddenly for her to acknowledge his efforts. "That's nothing compared to what happened to me and Maggie," droned Luan.

Lori was glancing at her phone at that time, but she placed it on the table in fascination. "Do tell," insisted Lori.

* * *

Luan explained that she once received a text from Maggie stating that she wished to meet up with her at a fast food restaurant. She gets there, and she noticed that Maggie was looking more cynical than she usually was. She had a look of scorn pasted across her face. It legitimately made Luan nervous. The two received their orders, and they went to sit down at a booth. The two didn't say anything for a while; they just shared blank expressions with each other. The tension was killing Luan: why did Maggie text her to come here of all places? It didn't help that Maggie was eerily quiet throughout. She knew that she would at the very least give an annoyed grunt whenever she made a joke and the like, but now, she's being silent. Eventually the tension was becoming too thin.

"Maggie, what did you want to talk about?" asked Luan in an attempt to strike up a conversation.

Maggie placed her burger on the table, and stared at Luan with that same emotionless glare. "How could you do that to your own brother?"

Luan was confused by her question at first. It took some critical thinking for her to realize that she was referring to the murder case.

"I didn't know he'd be taken" said Luan "I just thought he was bad luck."

Maggie crossed her arms. "That is a really stupid explanation, Luan."

Luan was close to crying again. " I know; it's my fault for what happened. Can this day get any worse?

What happened next caught Luan at a disadvantage. Maggie sighed. "You know, I shouldn't be hanging out with some foolish person like you."

"What, what do you mean?" inquired Luan.

"We're through" stated Maggie in a cold tone.

Luan began to break down. She got out of her seat, and fell before Maggie. "No, Maggie, I can't lose you too!" exclaimed Luan.

Maggie looked down on Luan, quietly analyzing her while doing so. "Maybe you should've realized that the moment you left your brother out in the cold."

Maggie gathered the food wrappings, and walked past Luan, leaving her a hollow mess.

* * *

"There isn't anything you can do to make it up to her?" asked Luna.

Luan shook her head. "She removed my number from her phone. That should be enough to say that she doesn't want anything to do with me."

"I'm real sorry, sis," says Luna who gives her a hug.

Lori was going to say something next, only for her cellphone to suddenly ring. Lori went into another room to answer it. Glancing at her phone, Lori immediately recognized the number. It was her boyfriend. She quickly swiped the icon and placed the phone beside her right ear.

"Bobby Boo Boo Bear?" she says.

"Are you watching the news now?!" Bobby shrieks. Lori was taken aback by the frantic tone in his voice.

"Why?"

They're talking about Lincoln!

"I see."

Lori nearly froze up by what he said next.

"They said that he was locked out of the house all night."

Lori gulped in anxiety. Bobby seemed to become suspicious by that.

"Babe, just tell me one thing..."

"What is it, dear?" Lori asked whilst trying to stave away his suspicions.

"Please tell me that you didn't lock Lincoln out on purpose!" he cried "Please tell me it was an accident!"

It didn't take much for Lori to realize that Bobby was silently crying on the other line. The pain in her heart returned, this time even more potent. She knew that it was wrong to lie to Bobby, but she knew how close he was to Lincoln. Lying just this once should put him at ease.

Lori was on the brink of crying herself, but she tried to compose herself so that she could be strong for herself and Bobby. "Yes, Bobby. It was an accident."

Bobby's sobbing lessened. "You promise?"

"Would I lie to you?" Lori asked through her teeth.

"I just wish I could've done something for Linc" mourned Bobby.

"We all do."

With that, she ended her call with Bobby, and she rubbed the palms of her hands onto her face.

Lynn walked into the room, having heard everything that she had said. "Why'd you lie to him? I already lied to Clyde, and everyone knows how that went."

Lori avoided Lynn's eyes. "I...I don't know. I know how close Bobby was to Lincoln, I just...froze."

Lynn narrowed her eyes. "What will you do when he finds out?"

Lori grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. "He _won't_ find out. Got that?"

Lori loosened her grip on Lynn when she saw that she was hurting her. Lori wipes her hands on her shirt, and clears her throat. "He won't find out. Now everyone, calm down and let's continue packing."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ronnie Anne was alone in her room, looking at some photos that were of her and Lincoln. She had already told herself that she wouldn't cry, but she couldn't resist. Tears erupted from her eye ducts like a flowing stream. The more she looked at the pictures, a flame burned within her. It intensified the more she thought about Lincoln's untimely demise, and how it happened during a time where he was most vulnerable. Yes Ronnie Anne began to despise the Loud family and desired to get back at them for what they had done. But how?

Bobby knocked on her door. "Sis, can I come in?"

"Door's open" states Ronnie Anne in her usual deadpan tone.

Bobby opens the door, and walks into the room. "How are you feeling?"

Ronnie Anne forced a smile onto her face. "Better. Who said I was crying? I'm not crying, just sweating...through my eyes."

Bobby looked at her and embraces her. For once, Ronnie Anne returned the gesture.

"Ronnie Anne, I miss Lincoln as much as you do, but we can pull through this. Together."

"No one can replace him" bemoaned Ronnie Anne.

Bobby agreed. "No, they can't. Anyway, I just got off the phone with Lori, and..."

Ronnie Anne interjected "To tell her that you're breaking up with her?"

Bobby shook his head. "To tell her about how the news is researching Lincoln's murder."

Ronnie Anne pouted "Hmph. Why can't you just dump her?"

Bobby sighed. "Look, baby sister, I know you're mad at them for what happened, but Lori insisted that she had no part in what happened to Lincoln."

Ronnie Anne frowned at the answer. "It's like you to believe that whore..."

"Now, Ronnie Anne..."

Ronnie Anne did not want to hear one of his many lectures again. "Get out of my room" she demanded.

Bobby was saddened by this. "But..."

"GET OUT!" screamed Ronnie Anne at the top of her lungs. She even began to throw her stuffed animals at her older brother to further beckon him to leave.

Bobby sighed, and headed out of the room.

Ronnie Anne was steaming. "I knew he would believe her automatically... I guess it's time for me to take matters into my own hands."

* * *

While browsing through Lincoln's text messages, Ronnie Anne remembered that he texted her once about his displeasure of having to attend his sister's softball game. Curious, Ronnie Anne decided to track down Lynn's teammates and push them for answers. Even if it required beating the truth out of them. The next day, Ronnie Anne walked into the girls' locker room, and immediately recognizes some of Lynn's teammates. Without as much as a thought, she grabbed one of the girls by the collar of her shirt. The girl was in the middle of changing into her gym clothes.

"Eek, please don't hurt me!" shrieked the girl.

Ronnie Anne pat her lightly on the back of her neck. "Relax" Ronnie states in a reassuring manner "I won't hurt you...as long as you tell me what I want to hear."

The half-decent girl nearly wet herself in fear. "Wh-what do you want from me?!" she breathed fearfully.

Ronnie Anne grins at her. "Tell me what happened the day that your team lost that softball game."

The girl swallows hardly before conversing. "Well, Lynn was pretty ticked off...she always does these...rituals before she plays to stave off bad luck."

"Bad luck, huh?"

"She always does those rituals, but this time, it seemed as though it was all for nought."

"What happened?" asked Ronnie Abbe in a more threatening tone of voice.

"Please, that's all I know!" screamed the girl who was beginning to weep profusely.

Ronnie Anne looked at her in disgust. "Pathetic..."

She tosses the girl to the ground, and storms out of the locker room.

The room became silent after she left, barring the sorrowful cries that the girl was making. A second girl spoke up after she left. "I think I need some new panties..."

Ronnie Anne was walking down the hallway, quietly meditating on that girl's cryptic remarks.

"So bad luck? Then that must mean..."

At that moment, it all made sense to her. The likely scenario entered her mind at full blast, making her already immense hatred for the Loud family even more profound.

"That's it...that bitch..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lynn was trying to eat her lunch at the cafeteria, but she notices how everyone was avoiding her, passing judgmental glares at her. There is no doubt that they had also watched the news report dedicated to Lincoln's murder case. She saw that even her teammates were giving her the cold shoulder. Even though she was in no way the one who took away her brother's life, she could feel herself being labeled as a murderer, or at the least "brother killer." But who was she to complain? She had failed to protect her only brother when it was the most crucial, so in a way, she did "kill" her brother. There was no doubt in her mind about that.

"I guess I should get used to this..."

Before she continued to eat her lunch, the doors to the cafeteria suddenly slammed open. Ronnie Anne was on the other side of the door.

"Lynn!" Ronnie Anne screamed. Not only did Lynn jump, but the entirety of the cafeteria jumped with her.

Lynn looked her over. "Ronnie Anne? What are you doing here?"

Lynn's jaw dropped open by what Ronnie Anne said next: "I know what you did!"

Lynn tried to lightly pass off her accusation as a joke. "What...what did I do?"

Ronnie Anne crossed her arms and scowled at her. "Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about! You locked your brother out in the first place!"

The students were looking at Lynn at that point. She began to feel nauseous.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You locked him out of his own house because you lost one softball game."

The pressure was getting to Lynn. She had already tried to lie before, and she knew where that got her at. The judgmental expressions her classmates were dishing her with only enhanced her guilt.

"OK, I did. I thought he was jinxing my games, so my family and I decided it be best for him to spend the night outside."

Ronnie Anne cracked her knuckles simultaneously at her response. "He's dead because of you"

Without warning, Ronnie Anne tackles Lynn to the ground, and she starts to beat her face in. Lynn desperately tried to dodge her beatings, but she was unable to. Ronnie Anne then wraps her hands around the tomboy's throat, and she starts to strangle her. Lynn gagged for air, trying to use her free hand to push Ronnie Anne off of her. Nearing the brink of unconsciousness, Lynn spotted something shiny on the floor. Squinting at it, she realizes that it was a fork. She tries to make a grab towards it, but Ronnie Anne's grip on her neck was firm. Lynn notices that one of Ronnie Anne's fingers was extremely close to her mouth, Lynn - in a moment of desperation - bit down hardly on her finger, drawing blood as a result. Ronnie Anne yelps in pain, and immediately releases Lynn. Lynn grabs the fork, and she slashes it across Ronnie Anne's cheek, tearing it open. Ronnie Anne wrestles Lynn for the fork, and kicks her in the stomach. Lynn falls down with a thud. Taking the fork, Ronnie Anne rammed it into Lynn's hand. Hot tears rushed out of Lynn's eyes as the pain burned within her.

Ronnie Anne smirked at her. "So you like playing softball, huh? Well, I'll be sure that you _never_ play in it again."

Without as much as a warning. Ronnie Anne lifted her foot, and stomped hardly on Lynn's arm. Lynn yelled for her to stop, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. Lynn could feel her bones shatter and the tendons in her fingers splinter. Before Ronnie Anne could deliver the final blow, she gets tackled to the ground by an officer. Apparently, one of the students ran out the cafeteria to alert about the events that were transpiring. Ronnie Anne is dragged out of the cafeteria, but not before she delivered a final threat to Lynn.

"This isn't over, Lynn! I will make you pay for what you did to Lincoln! You'll see!"

With Ronnie Anne detained, Lynn sighs, and she fainted from the blood loss.

* * *

 **And there was Chapter 4. Hopefully the story won't be too extremely long. I'm hoping to get to the funeral scene as well as how each of the sisters grieve for their brother in the only way they knew how. Anyway, hope you're enjoying the story so far. As always, criticism is appreciated.**


	5. A Liar Revealed

"I'm sure you know why you're here, Ms. Santiago?" inquired Principal Huggins.

It hadn't been less than an hour since the assault that ultimately led to Ronnie Anne Santiago getting apprehended by the school's officer. The ambulance was alerted to retrieve Lynn who had suffered massive injuries from the brawl she had with the young Hispanic girl. Ms. Santiago rushed to the school the moment she received the call.

Ms. Santiago fearfully shook her head. "Please, sir. My daughter doesn't normally act like this."

Huggins sternly glared at her. "Ms. Santiago, your daughter had assaulted a student in the cafeteria."

Ms. Santiago was close to the brink of tears. No matter how hard she tried to deny it, Principal Huggins' words rang true to her. Her young daughter had just assaulted someone. What's worse, the victim so happened to have been suffering from the loss of her only brother. "Why must it be us," bemoaned Ms. Santiago. Biting her lower lip, Ms. Santiago slowly drifted into her reply. "Yes, sir, I am aware..."

Rudely, Principal Huggins interjected. "She broke said student's arm, and she stabbed her hand with a fork." Huggins stopped to take a drink from his cup before continuing. "Of course, it didn't pin her arm to the floor or anything of that sort, but she will need to have her palm stitched up."

Ms. Santiago began to weep bitterly. "I'm sorry, sir. I don't know what had become of her."

Without much of an alarm, Huggins cleared his throat. At that point, Ms. Santiago was convinced that the worst was yet to come.

"As such, she had been expelled from this school."

Ms. Santiago's world shattered into millions of pieces. Ms. Santiago flung herself onto the side of his desk, begging him to reconsider.

"Please sir! Just give her one more chance!" she pleaded.

Huggins sighed. He didn't want to condemn her daughter, but at the same time, he couldn't afford to have another incident such as this one befalling on the school.

"I'm sorry, Santiago, but we can't afford to have students threatening to beat another student to near death. She had been labeled a problem child. I am terribly sorry."

Ms. Santiago cried bitterly into her hands.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bobby was there, sitting next to Ronnie Anne outside the principal's office. Ronnie Anne hadn't received too severe of injuries. At most, she had a bandage on her cheek that covered the cut she received from the fork. Bobby placed his head between his hands. He couldn't believe how insane the week had been. Not only was he still wrapped up about Lincoln's death, but his baby sister had the audacity to pummel Lynn, who was very clearly still suffering from the loss. How could everything he knew lead to such a harsh outcome?

Bobby turned to look at his sister, sighing heavily. "Why...why did you do it, sis?"

Ronnie Anne refused to look him in the eyes. Instead, she dropped her head between her arms. "I did it for Lincoln."

Bobby shook his head contemptuously. "Ronnie Anne, beating up Lynn isn't going to bring him back. You broke her arm. I'm pretty sure that she won't be able to attend most of her games."

Ronnie Anne perked up again, and smiled, content at what she had done.

Bobby was disgusted by his sister's lack of remorse. "First she lost that softball game, and then her only brother winds up getting murdered. Why are you making her suffer more?" asked Bobby accusingly.

Ronnie Anne looked at her brother. A glimmer of irritation was fully displayed on her face. "You don't see the correlation here?"

Bobby shrugged. "What correlation? Her brother was accidentally locked out of the house."

Ronnie Anne rolled her eyes. "Did your girlfriend tell you that?"

"She would never lie to me."

This elicited a chuckle from the rambunctious young girl. "You are dumb. Really, really, dumb."

Bobby was confused by her response. "What?"

Ronnie Anne sighed. Why, oh why did she have to have this imbecile for an older brother, she thought. "Doesn't it bother you about how fishy it was for Lincoln to be locked out all night?"

"Well...maybe his family was too busy, and they absentmindedly locked the door before he came in."

"OK, here's a flaw with that logic. Even if they were busy talking or whatever, wouldn't they realize later on that Lincoln was missing?"

Bobby had to admit that she was right in that regard. "Well, now that you mention it, yeah. It would seem that they would notice him not heading to bed."

Ronnie Anne smiled. With one more push, she was certain that she could get him on her side."And if they realized it, why did they wait until the next day to check in on him?" she asked

It didn't take long for Bobby to mediate on what she had just said. His eyes widened in horror as the full realization of those events violated his mind. He leaned over, anguished. "Oh my god..."

"Get it through your thick skull," declared Ronnie Anne "Lori lied to you."

The thought that his own girlfriend hid the truth from him horrified him. Throughout their time together, they had been nothing but truthful to her. For something as horrid as Lincoln's death, Bobby tried to convince himself that she had no role in it. He thought back to the discussion he had with her over the phone. Everything began to make sense. No wonder she seemed evasive when he was drilling her about the murder. He hoped that she was truly innocent as she claimed, but now, her testimony didn't line itself up with the hard evidence. Tears of betrayal poured out of his eyes like miniature streams.

* * *

Lynn sluggishly found herself awake to a metallic beep. Adjusting her eyes, she realized that she was lying in a hospital bed, with an IV pack attached to her arm. After seeing Ronnie Anne get hauled away by the authorities, Lynn collapsed from the trauma of the beating. She had sustained not only a broken arm, but her eyes were bruised, and she had lost a few teeth. What caught her interest, however, was her hand. Upon further inspection, she saw that it had been stitched up.

"Where...am I?" droned Lynn weakly.

"You're in the hospital, sis" explained Luna.

Lynn tried to prop herself up, but she was immediately overcome by pain. She painfully plopped back onto the bed. "Everything hurts."

"The doctors stitched your hand up" added Lori "the doctor said that if the fork was any further in, it would've struck bone."

Lynn exhaled upon hearing this. "What happened to Ronnie Anne?"

"She was suspended. Her mother was devastated by the news," said Lisa.

Lynn covered her eyes with her spare hand. "It's my fault" she declared.

Leni shook her head defiantly. "No, it's all of our faults. We weren't good sisters to Linky."

Lynn's eyes began to well up with tears. "If I never said he was a jinx, he would've still been alive."

Her sisters gathered around her, and reassured her with a family embrace.

"We can get through this, I know it" declared Luna.

Lynn was perplexed. "But what are we gonna do now?"

Luna scratched the back of her head for a moment before addressing her point. "Continue on with life. That's what Lincoln would've wanted."

The siblings solemnly nodded their heads. Without warning, there was a knock on the door. Lucy broke out of the hug, and walked over to the door. Opening the door, she saw that Bobby was on the other side. He had his hands stuffed into his pants.

"Hey there, you..." said Bobby awkwardly.

Lucy simply responded with a sigh.

"May I speak with Lori...alone?" he asked.

Lucy turned to look at her older sister. Lori, Bobby's wanting to speak with you.

Lori turned her neck quickly, seeing Bobby standing there. "Alright."

She expelled herself from the family hug, and she walked towards the door. She then closed the door lightly to keep her younger siblings from eavesdropping on their conversation.

* * *

"What's wrong, dear?" Lori asked.

"My baby sister beat up your sister."

Lori grinned nervously. "Oh, that. Don't fret; Lynn forgave her."

Lori noticed that Bobby's facial expressions hadn't changed upon hearing the news. He didn't seem happy, or angry for that matter. He just looked...empty.

Lori was concerned by this. "Boo Boo Bear, what is it?"

Those words. Yes, those words again. Normally, Bobby took pleasure in the nickname, but now, it only rang hollow in his ears. Those words were meaningless to him now. "Don't ever call me that again." he growled.

Lori was shocked by his sudden hostility. Ever since they had been dating, Bobby never had a problem with it. What was wrong now?

"B-but that was the pet name that I gave you."

Bobby completely ignored her. "While I was speaking to my little sis, she told me something interesting."

Lori swallowed hardly. "Yes?..."

"She told me that you and your family deliberately locked Lincoln out."

Lori was speechless. There was no way that she could keep this dark secret any longer. Could she even dream to convince him otherwise?

"Is that true?"

Lori chuckled at this as though it were some horribly contrived joke. "Uh...heh, heh, funny story about that..."

Bobby grabbed her by the arms, frightening her. "TELL ME!" he demanded.

"YES! Yes, it's all true! I didn't try to stop my family from throwing Lincoln out."

Bobby clenched his teeth in anger. "Why did you do it?!"

Lori struggled for an explanation. "Lincoln was jinxing all of our events, so, we thought that if he lived outside, we'd be safe."

"Jinxing?" stated Bobby "how?

"Well, Lincoln told us that he was bad luck. What did you expect me to do?"

Bobby was horrified by her callousness. "Even if your brother was cursed, that gives you no right to do something that terrible to him."

Lori leaned over in guilt "I know! Please, Bobby, just hear me out..."

"We're through" Bobby declares.

Mascara began to flow from underneath of Lori's eyes as she wept profusely. Her breathing became stressed thus causing her to breathe between crying. She fell to the ground, and wrapped her arms around Bobby's leg. It was a truly pathetic sight.

"No, please Bobby!" she wailed "I've lost everything up to this point! I need you..."

Bobby looked down at the broken mess before him. After dating her for years, he began to realize that she wasn't worth his time. Especially if she's apathetic towards her siblings. He shakes Lori off his leg without a second thought, and began to walk down the hall.

"Goodbye, Lori."

* * *

 **Chapter 5. I apologize for this chapter being slightly short, but I am hoping to make up for it with the next chapters. This turned out to be a big project, for me anyway. Really, I'm scared of this story. I thought I was doing something new with an alternate take on NSL, but of course several others had already made stories where Lincoln is either injured, killed, or whatever, so I feel that my story has no point now...I don't know if I can even hope to finish it.**

 **Before I forget, I have been reading some of the reviews for my story so far, and I am pleased with a few of them. However, one stuck out to me as being less than desirable. Basically, it claimed that I wrote the story because I hated the sisters. Let me clarify: no, I don't hate them. However, I wrote this story to show how one stupid mistake could lead to devastating results. That's just the thing with the Loud sisters...they hardly ever learn anything, they are always portrayed as being in the right while Lincoln is always wrong, and they hardly receive punishments for their behavior. That is one reason as to why I love "Syngenesphobia." I find it very cathartic after coming off of "Trash House." Granted I didn't want Lincoln to get the ever loving shit beaten out of him, but the sisters received just punishments, which I am happy about. Admittedly, I don't want the story to end on a happy note. There are several stories out there that have the conventional ending where everyone lives happily, but I do love tragic endings as well. To me, having Lincoln be permanently terrified of his sisters is the worst punishment of all: they would have to live the rest of their lives knowing that they scarred their brother, and there would be nothing that they could ever hope to do to take back what they did. Of course I don't mind if the opposite ends up being the case, but I personally prefer the darker ending.  
**

 **Overall, I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter of Shattered Innocence. As always, criticism is appreciated (as long as it's constructive).**


	6. The Funeral

"24600! You have a visitor!" exclaimed a warden.

Rita's eyes shoot open upon hearing the warden's threatening voice. Yawning, she picked herself up from her bed, and stretches. In the place of her usual attire was an orange jumpsuit uniform. Branded on her shirt was her identification number. Everything happened so fast, it was hard for Rita's mind to absorb it all. It had been a week since Lincoln was abducted and brutally murdered. Immediately afterward, she and her husband were arrested for child neglect, and were sentenced to life in prison. With all that time in prison, Rita thought back to that situation, regretting how she didn't notice the warning signs. As a mother, her duty was to love all of her children equally, but she failed even that due to how she treated her son. Rita remembered how she held Lincoln when he was born, and how she had sworn to always look after him. That same child would soon end up being unfairly evicted from his home and killed before his life truly began. Rita was ashamed with herself. How could she have been so foolish to let this happen to her son? She should've been more unbelieving of the claim that he was bad luck, she should've taken his side, but she didn't even bat an eyelid when it was suggested that they sell all of his furniture as a precaution.

The only thing that she could remember about her son now was the saddened look he had on his face when she slammed the door on him. It pained her even now to even think back on it. Rita follows the warden to a small room, and she sits down in a chair. In front of her was a glass window. Across from her, she saw an elderly man. She immediately knew who it was just by his hair.

"Dad..."

* * *

Albert and Rita stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Rita drops her head out of shame to avoid his glance. After a few minutes fly by, Albert sighs, and picks up the phone. Rita quietly picks up her phone as well.

"I had that dream again" sighed Albert.

Rita was confused by his ominous comment. "Dream?"

"Of when I had first taken Lincoln fishing. I remember it as though it were yesterday. I picked him up just before the crack of dawn, and we took a boat down to the creek. I can still smell the crisp air as it tickled my face. Lincoln was so determined to get a fish that he never gave up, even when he ended up catching shoes, bottles, and whatever else people throw into the creek." Albert stopped momentarily to laugh. "But then, just before we left, Lincoln caught something. Yeah, it was a small and scrawny minnow, but Lincoln was so happy with himself. Happiness was practically radiating from him. Yes, that was the dream I had."

Rita frowned. "Dad, I'm so sorry for everything. Every time I go to sleep, I can only see the feeling of betrayal on Lincoln's face." Her voice began to break. "I knew that it was a bad idea to lock him out. I don't know why I didn't go with my gut that night..."

Albert sighed restlessly. "Rita."

Rita understood that tone in his voice. Not once had her father expressed any hatred towards her for what she had done to his grandson. Rather, she realized that he was deeply disappointed in her for her involvement. Worse, she realized that he only called her by her birth name instead of saying anything to the line of "daughter" or "dear." Not only was Albert upset with her, but he was even trying to avoid identifying her as his daughter. This realization made her feel even more miserable.

Albert rubs his forehead. "Rita, I thought I raised you better than that. I taught you responsibility and attentiveness. I honestly thought that I was doing my hardest to prepare you for adulthood, but all I see is an immature young girl who would believe in some rumor that their children were spreading."

Rita said nothing afterward. His words pierced her heart. All that he had said was absolutely true. She was supposed to be the responsible adult, and yet she became ensnared with this nonsense. It was a sin that she couldn't even hope to repent from.

Albert stood up from his chair. "His funeral starts at 3 in the evening. I'm honestly concerned about your other children's predicament." Albert sighs again "I only pray that they don't reap what you have sewn."

Albert gently places the phone back on its hook, and exited through the door. All things considered, this may as well be the last time that Rita would ever see her dad. After all, he isn't going to live forever. As she meditated on these thoughts, the warden manifests behind her, rudely prying her out of her train of thought.

"Back to your cell, 24600!"

Rita picks herself up from her seat, and reluctantly follows the warden back to her cell. Along the way, she saw her husband sitting in his cell bed, his hands clasped over his face. It didn't take much to figure out that he was in deep mourning. Rita and the warden travel all the way down the hall, and he opens the cell door for her.

"You people make me sick" states the warden "people like you deserve to rot behind these bars." He slams the door in front of Rita, and walks up the deep, dark hallway. Rita burst into tears the moment he left.

* * *

Cars lined the street of the funeral home when the clock struck 3. Never had there been such a showing in all the years of the town. The Loud family arrives to the funeral home not too long afterward. Despite the huge crowd, they found a place to park, and they all entered into the funeral home. Besides Lucy, all of the Loud sisters were wearing black. Ever since the death of their only brother, the life was practically drained from each of the sisters. None of the girls engaged in their typical activities. Luna had permanently locked her bass away, Luan discontinued her funny business much to the despair of her potential clients. Lisa not only put her tools into storage, but some of the money that she had earned went into the making of the funeral. To her, it was the least she could do.

The girls had invited as many people as they could to attend the service, most of them being the families of the Royal Woods Stalker's victims. The McBrides had also agreed to pay their condolences, but Clyde made it clear to them that he was only coming so that he could pay his respects to his late best friend, and that he intends on permanently severing his ties with them once the funeral is over. As for the Santiago family, they were prohibited from attending. Ever since that fiasco that Ronnie Anne had with Lynn in regards to her boyfriend's death, who knew what she would do if she were to see Lynn again at the funeral? That, and Bobby wouldn't have been able to bear watching Lincoln's coffin into the ground. Lincoln was like a brother to him; seeing him being laid to rest would practically haunt him for the rest of his life. Given how Lincoln's body was discovered to have been in such a violent condition, Aunt Ruth requested that coffin be remained closed, fearing that her nieces would psychologically break down if they were to lay their eyes on his lifeless corpse. The Loud family find their seats, and they sit down. The funeral began shortly afterward.

The pastor preceding over the funeral walked up to the stand and directly faced the assembly. He straightens up his glasses before speaking. "We are gathered here today to bid farewell to Lincoln Loud, who is survived by his ten sisters." The pastor looks over at the family. "Given recent updates to his case, we will leave it at that. Anyway, let's begin. Who shall go first?"

Silence overtook the room as the pastor scanned the room for a volunteer. The sisters gave each other a forlorn look before Lori stands up from her seat. "I'll go."

The preacher nods knowingly. He makes room for Lori as she took the stage. Lori looks at her sisters and the rest of the crowd. Her hands shook as she felt her emotions building from within her. Lori sighs. "OK...I never thought I'd have to speak at my brother's funeral, but here I am. To start with, Lincoln was more than just my younger brother, he was thoughtful, he was always there whenever we needed help, he was always so generous. He was even willing to put up with us even when we turned him away." Lori's voice began to break when she could no longer withhold her sorrow. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that Lincoln was more than a brother; he was my friend, and I'm going to spend the majority of my life missing him."

Lori began to weep bitterly, and gripped onto the podium. Luna walks up to her and rubs her back. "We're all gonna miss him, sis." She tried to sound reassuring, but even she was overcome with sadness. Lori is led off the stage thus leaving Luna to go next.

"I remember how I used to hold Lincoln when he was a baby." Luna tops momentarily, sniffling. "Ever since then, I had a good relationship with him. I even helped to make his first concert experience amazing. He was always there to support me and my dreams, and yet here I am now, and I can't even begin to cover how much he did for me."

Luan was next. "When he was my assistant, it seemed that my business was skyrocketing." Luan's lower lip quivers. "Now that he's gone, business had never been the same. No one can replace him."

Lucy followed suit. Luan lowers the microphone to her eye level and steps back. "Normally I enjoy going to funerals, but I never thought I would have to come to my brother's." As she spoke, there was some noticeable emotion in her usually monotonous tone. "I confided in Lincoln to keep my darkest secrets under lock and key. He had done so much for me, but I'll never get to repay him for it." She drops her head. Even though she kept her eyes hidden away under her bangs, tears streaked down her cheeks, wetting them.

Each sister each shared a few words about Lincoln, the sole exception being Lynn herself. Lynn couldn't bring herself to say anything slightly positive about her brother. Why should she? Everything that had transpired was her fault. Despite it being only a week since Lincoln's death, she still felt largely responsible for setting everything into motion. She tried to browse her mind for any good times that she had with her brother, but to her horror, she couldn't subconsciously find anything. All those moments with Lincoln only benefited her and her alone. Before this, she treated Lincoln badly by bullying him. She thought that it was all in good fun; it never crossed her mind that she could've been wrong about this until it was too late. "If Lincoln were to look at her now, what would he think of me she asked herself."

After the family had shared a word about Lincoln, others were allowed to share their thoughts. Eventually, the pastor gave the benediction, and the undertakers are given the signal to take the coffin to its final resting place. The undertakers carefully pick up the ends of the coffin, and they began to march with it. They manage to place the coffin in the back of the car when the twins run up towards two of the undertakers and cling onto their legs.

"Please, don't take our brother away from us!" they screamed in unison.

The undertakers sighed irritably, and they shook the girls off their legs before heading into the car. The car drones awake, and it drives off with Lincoln's coffin in the back. The twins were devastated.

Ruth walks up to the two girls, and pats their heads. "Okay, girls, I think we've seen enough."

The girls walk off with Ruth. Initially, Lynn stayed behind to silently grieve for her brother before being called.

* * *

Whilst the girls were leaving, they come into contact with a man. To say that the man was bizarre looking was an understatement. He seemed to have sunken eyes, and he was overly skinny so much so, that his clothes seemed to flow loosely from his body. His hair was practically non-existent. He had thin strips of gray hair along the sides of his head, but his chrome was bare. In fact, his entire head could pass as a raisin. He looked tentatively at the girls before a smile spread across his face, wrinkling at the tips. He apparently hadn't heard of a toothbrush as his teeth were unnaturally yellow.

"Sorry for your loss" says the mysterious man.

Lori was repulsed by him, but she thought to say something so that she didn't come off as rude. "Uh...thanks?"

The man wordlessly nods his head before walking away. They watch him get into his truck, which seemed to be on the verge of breaking down, and he drives away. They didn't even remember seeing him among the assembly. Something rubbed Lori the wrong way about this man, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Besides, now wasn't the time to delve into that. She hops into Ruth's car, and the car began to slowly roll away from the funeral home.

"That guy was totes creepy..." whispers Leni.

"Definitely."

* * *

 **Okay, here's Chapter 6. Sorry for not updating sooner. I hope you enjoy this latest chapter. There is more to come. As always, criticism is appreciated.  
**

 **Note to self: Look up more information on actual sentencing for child neglect.  
**


	7. School Trouble

A month passed by since the funeral, but even then, it felt like it was only yesterday that Lincoln was cruelly taken from them. The sisters had promised themselves that they would be strong for Lincoln's sake, but that was a promise that they could not keep. The family practically fell apart as the month droned on. Every time that any of the sisters went into town for whatever reason, they received passing glances from citizens. They would also whisper to each other in regard to the girls. Even though they had no part in Lincoln's murder, they were being treated as though they were wanted fugitives. Still, they attempted to continue their daily activities.

On a Monday morning, the elders of the Loud sisters arrived to their high school. The moment that they walked in through the school's entrance, all of the students - who were happily chatting away - immediately stopped, and glared at the girls. Intimidated, the Loud sisters quickly walked towards their lockers, and began to decode their locker combinations. As they opened their lockers, piles of paper flew out and scattered onto the floor.

"What's this?" asked Lori in confusion.

They each gather some of the paper and they began to read each one. Each paper contained obscurities scrawled onto them by red paint. They either said "Murder," "brother killer," among other hurtful words.

"Brother killer?" whimpered Leni.

Luna looks down at the floor in dejection. "This isn't funny..."

Lynn growls, and balls up the papers in her hands, throwing them in the garbage.

"When I get my hands on whoever did this..."

Luan intrudes into her threat. "Everyone already hates us. I don't think you should make it any worse."

Lynn sighed in defeat. "Fine, you're right..."

* * *

The girls each went to their respective classroom. Throughout the day, they were ignored by their classmates to the point that they actually slid their desks as far as they could from the girls. While hurtful, the girls didn't mind much. After all, it could get worse. Eventually, it approached lunch break, and the classes were dismissed. The girls head towards the cafeteria, and they find their seats. As if on cue, several students avoided sitting close to them.

"I guess we're just gonna have to get used to this..." said Lori observantly.

Luna frowns upon hearing this. "It blows, sis."

"I know, I know."

Lynn hungrily bites down into her sandwich when three boys walk up. Two of the boys were gargantuan in size, while the one in the middle was noticeably smaller. He wore a green hoodie, and brown slacks. Additionally, he had red hair and sported freckles. On his head was a reversed football cap. His most definitive trait, however, was the smirk spread across his face.

"Well, well, well, I haven't seen you in a while, Lynn."

"What do you want, Dirk?" asks Lynn. She attempted to ignore the boy before her.

Dirk shrugs. "What, I can't say that I found it odd that you weren't attending any of your games?"

"It's something that doesn't concern you. So butt out."

Dirk smirks devilishly. "That's quite some talk for some murderer."

Lynn's eyes widen. "What did you call me?!"

Dirk directs his attention towards the entire cafeteria before answering her. "We all know that you killed your own brother."

"I did not!"

"But weren't you the one who locked him out?" asked Dirk who was pointing his finger at her accusingly.

Lynn struggled for a response. "Well, yes...but no."

Dirk crossed his arms. He sensed that she was about to crack any minute. One more push, and she would be rendered a total wreck. So you admit that you locked him out?

Lynn was close to tears. "I didn't intend for him to get kidnapped."

Luna stands up from her seat and places herself in front of her younger sister. "You better back off, dude if you know what's best for you."

Dirk sighs. He began to walk away from the table. "Well, I guess it was for the best...your brother was weak."

The sisters gasped in shock.

Smirking, Dirk glanced back at the girls. "Really, now? What use was your brother? He couldn't do half the things that you all could."

Unbeknownst to Dirk, Lynn's knuckles were cracking into place. Her sisters noticed this, and gulped nervously.

Dirk returns his glance to the entirety of the cafeteria, still ignorant of what was to come. "Look guys, the brother killer's getting mad!"

As he laughed, Lynn stands up from her seat, and lunges at him. Dirk collapses onto the ground, surprised at what had just happened. Lynn gets on top of him, and she began to violently punch his face in. Dirk desperately tried to block the punches to no avail. Lynn grabs him by the collar, and slams his face beside a chair. Dirk's teeth fracture upon impact. Her sisters cringed at the sound. Lynn reaches for Dirk's throat, her spare hand forming into a fist.

"Fuck!" Lynn roared. She slams her fist into Dirk's face repeatedly. Students and the faculty members frantically ran out of the cafeteria. Immediately, Luan and Luna sprint towards Lynn, and they forcibly pry her away from her victim.

"Let me go!" growled Lynn her arms flailing about.

"Dude, you've already done enough damage!" replies Luna.

Lynn looks down and she saw that Dirk's eyes were a deep purple and swollen over. His cheeks were swollen like water balloons with a few of his teeth hanging limply by the side. His nose was completely broken. Lynn looks down at her hands, and realizes that they were drenched in his blood.

Horrified by what she had done, Lynn runs out of the cafeteria, her sisters yelling after her.

* * *

"Stupid...stupid...how can I be so stupid!?"

Lynn attempted to wash the blood from her hands. Even though they were physically clean, Lynn still felt that they were dirty. No matter how many times she ran water over her hands, nothing could take away from the fact that she came dangerously close to killing Dirk. Lynn was always abrasive, no question on that. However, never had she been angry enough to nearly endanger someone's life. Why had everything in Lynn's life up to this point been nothing but an emotional roller coaster?

Lynn sighed. "I can't go around beating people up. Even if he deserved it." Lynn looks at herself in the mirror. "What would Lincoln think of this?"

Lynn walks to one of the stalls, and sits down on the closed lid. She was certain that everything will get worse, but at the very least, she would have time to compose herself. Lynn lets her mind wander for a while, until a thought exploded in her mind.

"Come to think of it, did I ever have any good times with Lincoln while he was alive?" Lynn scratched underneath her chin. "Maybe if I think hardly on them, I can ease this pain I feel."

Lynn thought back to the time where she was kicked out of her own room by Lucy. She was initially angered by this, but Lincoln allowed her to bunk with him that night. She began to remember how she did a Dutch oven on him, and how she punched him every time he flinched. What seemed to be playfulness on her part suddenly parted way to a realization: maybe Lincoln didn't enjoy her treatment. That thought began to fill Lynn with regret.

"Actually, Lincoln didn't seem all that interested." Lynn sighed. "OK, that was a bad memory, maybe there was something else. There has to be."

She thought harder, but nothing seemed to trigger a memory.

Lynn's eyes widen in anguish. "No, that can't be...I hadn't had any good times with Lincoln? " Lynn was overcome with emotion. "The more I think about it, the only one benefiting from those moments was me. I don't even think I ever treated him like a brother. Was he really just my punching bag?" Lynn clasped her hands over her eyes. "What kind of sister am I?"

She thought back to the events of her losing the softball game, and Lincoln being locked out of the house. Tears began to form in her eyes.

"What kind of monster am I...if I could just go back in time, I wish I could've told Lincoln how much he meant to me."

Lynn wipes her eyes with toilet paper before standing up.

"Well, I should probably get out now. Class will begin soon. "

Lynn walks out of the restroom only to see that the other students were glaring at her yet again. While she was initially used to this, this time, it felt more ominous than usual.

"What?" asked Lynn under her breath.

Ignoring it, Lynn advances to her room, and sits down. The room was eerily silent. The students passed glances at her, making her feel more uncomfortable than need be.

"This cannot end well..."

Lynn's teacher walks up to her, and hands her a note. Lynn looks at the note in abject horror.

"Ms. Loud, the principal look like to speak with you."

* * *

Lynn solemnly walked down the hallway leading to the principal's office. Lynn felt as though she were walking towards the execution room as her heart beat rapidly from within her chest. Eventually, she found herself before the door, and she slides her hand onto the door. She didn't want to open it; rather, she'd prefer to flee and hide in the janitor's closet, but she knew that it wouldn't solve anything. Swallowing her pride, Lynn opens the door, and peers into it.

The principal was reading a book before looking up. "Miss Loud, come in, come in. Please, sit down."

She obliges, and she takes her seat.

The principal gave her a serious look. "That was quite some show at the cafeteria if I do say so myself. Several students and faculty hightailed it out when you attacked one of your classmates."

"But sir, he was calling me horrible names as well as talking about my brother."

The principal nods his head in agreement. "Look, Lynn. I am awfully sorry about what happened to your brother, trust me, I understand the feeling."

Lynn tilted her head in curiosity. "Really?"

"Yes, my niece died in a hit and run, but that's in the past." The principal leaned forward in his chair before continuing. "Lynn, you understand that I can't let this one slide?"

Lynn drops her head in shame. "Yes sir..."

"I would expel you, but I feel that suspending you for a week should be enough."

Lynn accepts her punishment, and she began to walk down the halls that led to her classroom.

* * *

 **Hey, guys. Sorry for the long wait for the seventh chapter. I've had a few...issues to deal with. Before I continue, I will say that I am pleased that several of you are continuing to follow this story. What started as an idea, ended up becoming something much more. While some of the reviews are pretty good, there are a few that boil down to "how can you do this to the Loud family, you sick fuck?" Now, I will admit that I may have been rash in some of my decisions, but I insist that this is by no means a hate fic. For one, I don't hate Lynn; she isn't my favorite character, but I won't call you wrong for liking her. I just find her insufferable most of the time, but her biggest flaw is the fact that she is a static character. She hardly ever changes her behavior, she hardly learns anything, etc. I honestly couldn't think of one time that she treated Lincoln pretty well, I just find her very, very overrated as the fan favorite. If you had issues with her receiving harsh punishments, I apologize.  
**

 **Lastly, there was that issue over on TV Tropes. This user kept removing mentions of the story from the subpages based on the show, for little rhyme nor reason. Apparently, he thought that the story was a low quality hate fic. Now, I have excessively stated that hatred wasn't my motivation for writing the story, but he just won't accept that I could make this type of story if I found the episode it's based on as okay. That, and from what I've seen of him, he hadn't written anything. I don't see how he thinks that my story is low quality if he had never written a fanfic in his life. I admit, it's not perfect: it's not supposed to be, but I feel that he didn't even read it. And then he left an extremely hateful review of it on TV Tropes. I am fine with criticism as long as it's constructive. That wasn't constructive at all. Normally I don't care if anyone hates my story for whatever reason, but that really broke the camel's back for me. He makes me look like a whiny baby for making it. I don't know if I should even bother to continue this story now. No matter how many times I try to defend it, I still have people calling me a bastard for making the Loud family's life a living hell. I'm sorry if I had offended any of you with this for this brief chapter...I was just depressed about the story. I don't want to drop it, but I just feel unhappy that I'm receiving backlash for a completely stupid reason. Hopefully, the next chapters will be a little longer if I feel better by then.  
**


	8. Flashback

Lucy sat alone in her room, her day obviously being just as bad as her older sisters'. Throughout the day, Lucy was alienated at her elementary school. While many of her classmates tended to forget her presence because of her eeriness, this time around, they flocked to the farthest side of the room to get away from her as humanly possible. At this point, Haiku had completely severed her friendship with her. They would pass each other in the hall often, passing side glances at each other without speaking. Not even Rocky wanted much to do with her anymore. Shortly after the funeral, Rocky broke up with her. Lucy was always the somber type of girl, that goes without saying. However, this incident pained her as though a knife were deeply lodged into her heart. She quickly walked away from Rocky, and secluded herself in a dark room. Once there, she wept bitterly. Her typical monotonous attitude broke that instant, revealing her as the 8-year-old girl she always was.

Lucy flopped onto her bed, and rolled over on her belly. Looking down from her bed, Lucy carefully slid a box from underneath it. Once she retrieved it, she blew the dust off of it, and carefully analyzed it. It was a board game, but not just any board game. It was an Ouija board. Lucy had used the Ouija board a few times whenever she sensed that there was a spectral haunting the house, but she never received a response to indicate that they were there. Even though it was initial failure after failure, Lucy felt that this time, it would be different.

"I hope this works" sighs Lucy "I never got to speak with Sharon DeMoney."

After briefly reflecting on that one incident revolving money, Lucy opens the box. She gently removes the planchette from the box before taking the board out as well. She then places the planchette onto the board, and she began to initiate a seance.

"I call on the spirit of my brother, Lincoln."

Lucy sat back on her bed, waiting for a response. However, the planchette on the board doesn't move. Lucy was worried by this at first, but she assumed that perhaps she was doing it wrong, and she tried again.

Lucy cleared her throat. "Lincoln, if you're here in this room, please answer."

Just like before, there was no response. Lucy became more frantic than before. She hardly grasps on the planchette, all while attempting to keep calm. This has to work she kept telling herself, unwilling to admit that it was worthless. Tears began to streak across her pale face as the realization slowly dawned on her. No matter how hard she tries, it was impossible for her to communicate with her deceased brother. Overcome with emotion, Lucy angrily beats her hands onto the planchette.

"Please Lincoln, I miss hearing your voice" she screams "please...I'm sorry for what I had done."

She loosens her grip on the planchette. It stayed in place, having never moved throughout the seance. She looked down at the little wooden piece with disbelief.

"If I could take everything back, I would. I beg you, Lincoln, I just want you to know how sorry I am..."

The planchette continued to be in the same place. Tears erupted from Lucy's eyes. At this moment, Lucy had come to terms that she would never be able to communicate to her brother. Not only was he murdered, but now she was unable to apologize. She would have to spend the rest of the life with that guilt. Lucy sighs to herself before lying down on her bed. Soon, she slowly began to drift off to sleep.

* * *

It was late in the evening when Mr. and Mrs. Loud returned from the hospital with their seventh child. Lincoln knew that his mother was to conceive another child, being hopeful that after having five sisters, he would finally get a brother this time. It's not to say that he didn't love his sisters, far from it in fact. He had gotten along pretty well with them; they were always there whenever he needed assistance with whatever caught his interest in the moment, and they played with him often. However, they didn't share the same interests that he did, usually preferring things that strictly applied to themselves. So when it was announced that their mother was to have another child, Lincoln was hopeful that it would be a boy. Lincoln was the first one to greet his parents when they returned home. Rita was carrying the newborn baby in her hands.

"You're home!" exclaimed Lincoln. He quickly ran over and hugged his mother's legs.

Rita smiled at her son tenderly. "Lincoln, say hello to your new sister, Lucy."

Rita bent down to his eye level, and she carefully pulled away the blanket that was obscuring Lucy's face. Lincoln looks at her curiously. Out of all the babies he had seen, Lucy seemed paler than he initially thought. Her skin seemed to lack a certain pigment; for all intents and purposes, she could easily be passed off as a phantom. In addition, she had a blank expression on her face, almost as if to suggest that she was bored. As an attempt to break the tension, Lincoln shoots a smile at Lucy, but Lucy didn't reciprocate it. Lincoln looked down in sadness, having been shot down by his new sister.

"Another sister..." sighs Lincoln. He was heartbroken. He was so sure that he would have a brother this time, but it turned out that all his hope was for naught. He was pretty sure that she would also not share any of his interests when she got older. Guess it was better to accept this than to keep wishing for a brother.

Lynn Sr. pat his son on the shoulder comfortingly. "Come now, it's not that bad, son. Maybe when you get adjusted to having her around, it could take your mind off of this." Lincoln quietly nods his head. He was upset about it, but he tried to keep his sadness from manifesting. The parents show Lucy off to her older sisters. Each sister looked at her in astonishment. Her being related to them was hard to swallow at first, but they each went out of their way to interact with her.

Lori scratches the back of her head, clearly not knowing how to go about speaking with her. "Uh...hey, there. I'm Lori."

Lucy looked hardly at her, further creeping Lori out. After a few minutes, Lucy sighs and looks down on the floor. Lori sighed in relief.

"This isn't going to work."

Luan scratched her chin deeply in thought. Suddenly an idea came to mind. "Maybe we should make her laugh?"

Luna sighs and approaches the baby. "OK, here goes nothing.."

Luna stuck her tongue out, and lifts her eyelids. Lucy stared at her for a few seconds before turning her attention on something else. Luna was stunned by this. "That didn't work?" she said flabbergasted "it worked with Lincoln when he was a baby."

Luan mentally searches her mind for a possible solution. She smiles widely when she comes upon one. "I know something that always makes me laugh."

"What is it?" asks Luna.

"Tickles!" exclaims Luan.

Luan began to tickle Lucy's tummy, waiting anxiously for Lucy squealing for her to stop. Instead, that never came. Lucy still had that bored look on her face. It appears that she wasn't even slightly bothered by Luan's ruthless tickling. Luan was baffled by her failure. This had always worked on her other siblings. Why wasn't it working now? "What? That always makes me laugh." She tried to tickle Lucy a few more times before she ultimately gave up and walked away. "Anyone have any bright ideas," Luan asked in defeat.

"I have an idea," Leni suggested.

"Knock yourself out," replied Luan.

Leni walked over towards Lucy, and she places her hands over her eyes. She remembered seeing her father do this to her younger siblings when they were babies, so maybe this would work here as well. Unfortunately for Leni, she was caught off guard by the sudden darkness, and she became frantic.

"Wait, how did it get so dark so fast!?" shouts Leni "Mom, Dad!"

The family sighs in irritation at Leni's clueless scramble for light. Lori walks over to her sister, and she took her hands off her eyes. Slowly but surely, Leni opened her eyes, and blinked a few times. She was relieved to see that it was no longer dark. She grabs her sister in an embrace. "You must be a wizard, Lori!" declared Leni. Lori rolled her eyes at her. Despite all that, not a trace of a smile appeared on Lucy's face.

"Mom, I think this baby's defective!" exclaimed Leni.

Rita sighs "I'm sure she'll just need some time to make due of her surroundings. She was born today after all."

Lynn walks up to her mother, her arms extended. "Can we hold her?"

Rita shakes her head. "I don't know, dear. You'd probably be too rough on her."

Lynn pouted and crossed her arms. "Aw, mom..."

The other siblings began to argue with each other on who would be the one to hold Lucy. Whilst in the middle of quarreling, Lincoln silently speaks up. "I want to hold her."

Lynn Sr. grins at his boy. "Good idea, Lincoln. That'll probably encourage some bonding between you two."

Lynn Sr. talks it over with his wife, and they both felt that Lincoln was responsible enough to hold her. Rita carefully places little baby Lucy in his hands. Lincoln gently props Lucy's fragile head, and places it on his arm. Lucy sighs again, making Lincoln nearly reconsider holding her. He was quite certain that she hated him, even though they had just met each other.

"Why does Lincoln get to hold her?" pouts Luan.

"Hymph, lucky" Lynn growls.

Lincoln looks up at his two sisters with a look of irritation on his face. "She's not doing anything."

Rita tried to reassure her son. "It'll take time, son."

Lincoln frowns. "But she's not smiling, or laughing. What kind of baby doesn't do that?"

Rita rubbed his head, calming him down. "Son, just because she's not laughing or smiling now doesn't mean she hates you."

Even though he felt that this was far from the truth, Lincoln subconsciously nods his head. "OK, mom..."

Lynn Sr. began to walk towards the stairway. He climbs up a few steps before shouting down. "Come on, we need to make room for our newest member."

Rita nodded her head "Right, dear." She signals for her daughters to follow her and their father upstairs to help them with the cleanup. Once they left, Lincoln was left alone with the baby. Lucy still had that blank expression on her face. Lincoln tried everything to make the baby happy from doing silly faces, and tickling her, but nothing seemed to work. Lincoln was nearly brought to tears. First all he wanted was a baby brother to bond with, but even when he tried to bond with his new sister, she seemed to be indifferent to him. That hurt him the most.

"I guess Lucy does hate me..."

While he was deep in his thoughts, Lincoln felt a tug on his finger. He looked down to see that Lucy had her little, plump baby hand wrapped around his index finger. This was the first sign of affection that Lincoln had ever gotten from his baby sister. Lucy looked up at her big brother, and flashed a grin at him. Her once expressionless face became alive with a sudden warmness. She then immediately turned back to her bored look, her hand still wrapped around Lincoln's finger. Lincoln was delighted by this; he was going to tell the others about it, only to realize that Lucy was sleeping. He smiles down at her, and gently rocks her with his other arm.

"I'm sure we'll get along just great, Lucy."


	9. Catharsis

The following day, Aunt Ruth drove the younger siblings to school. The sisters got out of the car, and they approached the doors to the elementary school. They felt conflicted about going in; they knew that they'd be met by the same judgmental glances and isolation. They were forced out of their thoughts when Aunt Ruth's horn blared, indicating for them to hurry inside. They took a few short breaths, and they opened the door. As they expected, they were met by the same scornful glances by their peers. However, they decided to make the most of it, and they each went to their room. Lola and Lana arrived to their room, and they quickly sat down. Not so soon afterword, the teacher came in.

* * *

"Good morning, class."

"Good morning, Ms. DeLisle!" chimed the classroom.

Ms. DeLisle walked over to her chalkboard; with chalk in hand, she began to write down the lesson for today.

"Today, we're going to learn how to add."

The students groaned in unison. Ignoring this, Ms. DeLisle began to write a few math problems on the board. While the twins were trying to listen tentatively to her, something hit Lola in the arm.

"Ow!" Lola groaned.

She turned around, and she saw that one of her classmates had a straw protruding from his mouth. Before she could respond, the student took a deep breathe, and blew on the end of the straw. A paper-soaked ball ricocheted towards Lola, hitting her directly in between the eyes.

"Ew, gross!"

The student heartlessly laughed at Lola, inspiring his other students to join in. Lola's eyes became watery, and she drops her head on her desk. Lana rubs her back sympathetically. While the children were laughing away at her expense, they didn't notice that Ms. DeLisle had lightly placed her piece of chalk back in her cup, and was now staring abjectly at them. She clears her throat loudly, startling the kids. They hadn't seen her this angry since they first became assigned to her classroom. DeLisle gave them such a strong look, they were deathly afraid to look her squarely in the eyes. DeLisle scans the room for a moment, and then wordlessly points her index finger at the student with the straw.

"You there! What's so funny that I'd have to stop my lesson?"

Lola wiped away her tears with a handkerchief before looking up at her teacher. "He shot a spitball at me!"

Ms. DeLisle crosses her arms angrily. "That's it. You're going to the principal's office!"

The student's eyes widened. "But..."

Ms. DeLisle slams her hand on her desk, frightening the student out of the classroom. She looked back at her class, her eyes ablaze with anger.

"You should all be ashamed."

Another student spoke up. "But Ms. DeLisle, they..."

Ms. DeLisle interjected. "Look, I don't know why Lola and Lana decided to lock their brother out, but that does not give you the right to treat them badly."

The students looked at each other before dropping their heads in shame.

Ms. DeLisle rubbed the temples before sighing. "God, this is just great. Besides this disruption in my class, that deranged serial killer is still out there! And yet it seems that everyone forgot about that. As punishment, no recess."

The students gasped in shock.

"Lola and Lana will be allowed to partake in recess. If anyone has a problem with that, I'll have you do bucket loads of homework for two days. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am..."

* * *

True to her word, Lola and Lana were the only students who would be attending recess for that evening. The twins looked around the empty playground; they couldn't believe that they would be the only ones out today. It seemed too surreal. They had been ostracized by their classmates earlier that day, but their teacher actually punished _them_. Even though they were partially responsible for what happened to Lincoln, Ms. DeLisle actually didn't hold them accountable for it. It was a strange feeling to say the least.

"Well, sis," said Lana "it's just you and me."

"What do you want to do first, Lana?"

Lana looked around the playground for an answer. Soon, it came to her. Her eyes set themselves on a swing set.

"How about those swings over there?"

Lola glanced over at the swing set, and flashed a big grin at Lana. "Sure."

The two girls ran over to the swing set, and they decided to take turns swinging each other. Lola picked up the hem of her dress and gracefully sat down on a swing. Lana lightly pushes her hands against Lola's back, and she began to go forward in the swing. Lola squeals in delight.

"This is really fun, Lana."

"It sure is."

After she had swung a few times, Lola gets out of the seat and allows Lana to go into it. Once Lana was properly in it, she began to push her.

"Hey, Lana," said Lola.

"Yeah, sis?"

"Remember when Lincoln pushed us on the swing once?"

Lana laughed to herself. "Yeah, I remember it like it was just yesterday."

* * *

It was a Tuesday afternoon when the Loud family arrived to the park. Around this time, the twins were 4-years-old, and naturally curious. Rita drove the twins in a baby carriage, and decided to park it by a bench.

"Lincoln," she began "I'm going to the little ladies' room, could you watch over your sisters?"

Lincoln nods his head. With that, Rita walked towards the restrooms. While they were waiting for their mother to return, Lincoln decided to pass time by making silly faces at his sisters. They giggled in delight at this. Lincoln leans in closer towards his younger sisters, and his nose gets grabbed. Lola giggles to herself as she firmly gripped his nose.

"Vwola, vet me vo!"

Lola releases his nostrils, and Lincoln breathes in relief.

"What that?"

Lincoln glances at Lana who was pointing at something intensely. Lincoln turned his head towards the direction she was pointing at, and he saw a swing set.

"Oh that?" he asked. Lana nodded.

"That's a swing set; it's really fun."

"How work?" Lana asked.

"You just get into a seat, and someone else pushes you."

Lana's eyes widened in amazement.

"You want to try it?"

Lana enthusiastically nodded. Lincoln turns to look at Lola. "You want to try it too?"

Lola clapped her hands. Taking that to mean "yes," Lincoln picked both of the girls up, and walked them towards the swing set. He places both of the girls on a seat, and he began to push them. The girls hang onto the chains of the swings, afraid that they might fall off.

"Don't worry, girls," says Lincoln "I won't let you fall."

The girls slowly released the chains, and began to relax. It didn't take too long for them to enjoy the feeling of the wind on their skin, and the sense of flying.

"Higher, Linky, higher!" shouted the twins in unison.

Lincoln pushed harder on their backs, propelling them further in the swings. Unfortunately, Lincoln might've misjudged the force he applied on the seats. The swings went forward to quickly, knocking the two girls out of their seats.

"Oh no!" screamed Lincoln.

He ran over to his young sisters. They were fine, but they had a few scrapes on their knees. The girls wept bitterly. Lincoln looked around frantically for something to stop the bleeding. He spots his mother's bag, and he dashes towards it. Shuffling through the bag, Lincoln uncovers a first aid kit. He dashed back to his sisters. Bringing them close, Lincoln soothed their crying.

"Shhh, no more tears. Your big brother will make everything better."

Lincoln takes out a can of alcohol wipes. He softly rubs the wipes onto their cuts. The girls screamed at the sensation at first, but then they felt the pain dissipate. Reaching into the first aid kit, Lincoln takes out a few band aids, and wraps them around their injuries.

"There. That should do it."

Lola and Lana grabbed a hold of their brother, and embraced him. Lincoln chuckles and wraps his arms around the 4-year-old girls.

Rita returned from the restroom seeing that her daughters had bandages on their knees.

"What happened, Lincoln?"

"Oh, I decided to let Lola and Lana ride on the swings, but they had a few scrapes." Lincoln pats their heads. "Don't worry, I took care of it."

* * *

Tears began to seep from the twins' faces. While they should've looked back fondly at that special memory, it furthered the painful reality that Lincoln was gone. They could no longer have those special moments with their one and only brother.

"Do you think they'll ever catch his killer?" Lola wept. She blew her nose into her handkerchief. Lana tenderly takes seize of her hand.

"Lana?"

"They _will_ find him. I know it."

* * *

 **Wow. Everything was just an emotional roller coaster. First I tried to get my friends over at dA to read the story but one (LeinadWorks) would rather do FF drawings, and another one outright hates the show, so of course he has no intention of reading it. Everything just seemed to go out of control with my life...thanks everyone for all of the support. I know I should've ignored that one review, but it sometimes makes it difficult for me to get over something like that. Well, here we are. Criticism is always appreciated as long as it's constructive.  
**


	10. Announcement

**OK. I have yet to work on the next chapter (still trying to work around on some of the flaws of the story). I don't know if I should just retcon the entire thing and start over from scratch, but that's beside the point. Now, I have received a PM from another author (who I will not name), concerning the issue with watches while you sleep. Look everyone, he was entirely valid with his points against the story. The only problem was that he didn't really express his points well, thus leading to a big misunderstanding. Now he's getting attacked on his (or her) stories, and gets spammed by private messages. I appreciate the support I had received in defense of my story, but I never wanted it to go down like that. Again, my problem was that while his points were accurate, again, it was how the response was written that made me think otherwise. In fact, this reminds me of the time when my ex-friend over at deviantART stated that he could do better in his artwork when we were comparing our art. He claims that he said that to help me improve, but frankly even now, I think he's an asshole. He always ignores my notes over at devianART, he has all the time in the world to do foot fetish drawings and the like, etc. Yeah, and now he's getting pretty good at digital art. Fuck digital art to the zenith.**

 **So, other than that, I did not call for a witch hunt, but I am going to end it. Please don't attack him for his opinion. It was wrong for me to get wrapped up over one bad comment; at least it's definitely better than the less constructive ones, but don't spam him for it. Thank you for listening.**


	11. Going on a Break

**OK, so I'm going to put SI on hiatus for now, and no, it isn't because of any negative reception; I genuinely find it difficult to continue the story. While a story like "Luan's Problem" was always meant to be a short story, I honestly found the current version of SI more complicated as everything won't be resolved in a short amount of time. This isn't me being a "drama queen" as many of claim I am. Everything that I had been saying was true; at times, I felt ashamed of the story as I felt that it wasn't of the same caliber as UnderratedHero's stories, or That Engineer's Syngesophobia of which SI was largely inspired. Now SI was never meant to be Requiem or Syngesophobia (god, that's hard to spell); it was always my own thing, but I will confess that the story is weak. Let's not beat around the bush here, the story is weak in some aspects. As for some of the decisions I made with the story, I might make a separate blog explaining all of my reasons for these choices, but I will assure everyone who cares that the story is by no means a revenge fic or was made out of spite for NSL. I didn't hate the episode, but no matter how many times I point that out, many are still convinced that they are right. Now, keep in mind, this was the first time that I have done a project as big as SI, and I didn't receive any help or direction from anyone else. Other than that, I'm a beginning writer. I have written other stories prior to this one (some I wouldn't recommend reading unless you're into weird stuff), but I overall never received any help for writing the story. And yet, many state that the story is terrible, and/or recommend reading Syngesophobia. Now, as I have said I love the story, but I don't appreciate being blown off as some ingrate. I mean no ill will towards That Engineer, but at the very least in SI everything is starting to turn in the sisters' favor. In fact, Lola and Lana get defended by their teacher, and they are slowly starting to receive less hatred from the students as they realize that they are not entirely to blame for Lincoln's death. If this was a revenge fic as many would say that it is, the teacher would've condoned her students bullying the twins.**

 **With descriptions, well I'm sorry, but I can't fully describe the situation at hand. Sometimes I give too much description as to what happens, sometimes less, but I felt that it worked here, because I wanted to leave the more grim scenes to the reader's interpretation. Now, for people who care for stuff like this, I'm sorry, but I am not That Engineer or UnderratedHero. They are able to succeed where I can't, but I shouldn't be made to feel that I need to reach their standard in order to be good. Frankly, I didn't understand what many saw in my story at first, but it seems that it's enjoying a good bit of popularity among some fans of the show, so I won't complain. Even "Luan's Problem" got recommended on the Loud House's Fan Recs page, and that was especially surprising as I didn't see it as a good story. Overall, I am not cancelling the story (well, I'm planning on completely retconning it and restarting from scratch), but I am putting it on hiatus for the time being.**


	12. One Final Update

Alright, this is probably going to be the last time that I update this story. As you know, theblindwriter95 offered to complete the story for me after I had conflicting ideas about it. However, as many of you had pointed out to me in private messages, it seemed hypocritical for me to criticize the author for a single scene and whatnot. The reason as to why I was offended by that one scene was because of the implication of prison rape. While you could argue that the story was already dead on arrival when I first made it a few months ago (or maybe a year and a half), but one line that I was trying hard to not cross was rape. Rape, other than murder, is one of the most vile actions anyone could commit on a person as it robs them of their innocence, traumatizes them, as well as a few other issues. While the story was about the girls trying to find the person who killed their brother, I initially was going to leave it vague as to why the murderer killed Lincoln. It could be theorized that he or she was a pedophile (or Cristina in disguise), but I didn't want to make the story feel even more dark than it was already.

To me, Rita getting raped or molested by that lesbian inmate was the final straw for me. I mean, they get sent to prison for a few years, but I wasn't going to have it to where Rita was les chow. Besides that, I also drew the line with Lynn getting disowned. I apologize if it seemed as though I was making Lynn suffer because I hated her. While I find her the worst character in the show, that wasn't the intention; one of the working ideas was Lynn probably taking out the killer herself so that it could be her ultimate redemption. And no, no one else was going to die. But other than that, I do appreciate theblindwriter95 for volunteering to take the story, and I am truly sorry for sounding cold when I was reviewing one of the most recent chapter. This is AustinDR signing out.


End file.
